Alan Jackson, the lawyer representing Nick Reiner, removed himself from the case on Wednesday.
The departure was announced during Reiner’s second appearance in Los Angeles Superior Court for his scheduled arraignment in the killing of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner.
Jackson announced that he is withdrawing from the case, and Reiner will now be represented by public defender Kimberly Greene.
Reiner appeared behind glass in a custody area of the Los Angeles courtroom, wearing brown jail garb and with his hair shaved. Greene asked Judge Theresa McGonigle to postpone his arraignment following Jackson’s withdrawal from the case.
The judge asked Reiner if he was OK with the new arraignment date of Feb. 23, and he replied: “Yeah, I agree.”
McGonigle approved the use of cameras inside the courtroom but said pictures could not be taken of the defendant.
“This morning I had to withdraw as Nick Reiner’s counsel. Circumstances beyond our control but more importantly circumstances beyond Nick’s control have dictated that sadly it’s made it impossible for us to continue our representation,” Jackson told reporters outside the courthouse in Los Angeles.
“I’m legally and ethically prohibited from explaining all the reasons why. I know that’s a question on everybody’s mind. We expect the public defender to step in. They’ve already been appointed and very capably protect Nick Reiner’s interests as he moves forward through the system,” he added.
“Be very, very clear about this — my team and I remain deeply, deeply committed to Nick Reiner and to his best interests,” Jackson said. “In fact we know, we’re not just convinced, we know that the legal process will reveal the true facts of the circumstances surrounding this case.”
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“What we’ve learned — and you can take this to the bank — is that pursuant to the law in this state, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder. Print that,” Jackson added.
Following the news, Reiner’s family told the New York Times in a statement that they “have the utmost trust in the legal process and will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings.”
Reiner’s scheduled appearance comes three and a half weeks after his 78-year-old father and 70-year-old mother were found dead with stab wounds in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles on Dec. 14, 2025, authorities said.
The LA County Medical Examiner said in initial findings that they died from “multiple sharp force injuries,” but released no other details, and police have said nothing about possible motives.
Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested hours later and has been held without bail since. He was charged two days later with two counts of first-degree murder.
He did not enter a plea during a brief first court appearance on Dec. 17. Jackson told the court it was “too early” to enter a plea and that he had already agreed with the prosecution to delay the arraignment until January.
“This is a devastating tragedy that has befallen the Reiner family. We can all recognize that. Our hearts go out to the entire Reiner family,” Jackson told reporters outside the courthouse in December.
Jackson said there are “very complex and serious issues that are associated with this case.”
“Things need to be very thoroughly, but very carefully, dealt with and examined and looked at and analyzed,” Jackson said.
Reiner also faces a special allegation that he personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, that being a knife, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced at a news conference on Dec. 16.
These charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. No decision about the death penalty has been made as of yet, Hochman added.
“Charges are not evidence,” Hochman said. “Evidence is something we will be presenting in a court of law to meet the standard of proof we meet at every criminal case, which is beyond a reasonable doubt.
“Prosecuting these cases involving family members are some of the most challenging and most heart-wrenching cases that this office faces because of the intimate and often brutal nature of the crimes involved.”
Prosecutors have said they have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty.
The prosecution is being led by Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian, whose recent cases included the Menendez brothers’ attempt at resentencing and the trial of Robert Durst.
— With files from The Associated Press
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